THE CLOSING CENTURY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 8417, 17 January 1899, Page 4

THE CLOSING CENTURY.

Talmage's word painting of the twentieth century :— The grave of this century will soon be dug. The cradle of another century will soon be rocked. There is something moving this way out of the eternities something that thrills me, blanches me, appals me, exhilarates me, ciiraptuies me. It will -wreath the orange blo^mns of millions of weddings, [t will beat the dirge for millions of obsequies. It will carry the gilded banners of brightest mornings and the black flags or darkest midnights. The world will play die grand inarch of its heroes and <ound'the rogiie-'s march of its cowards. Other piooc-iions may halt, or break down, or fall hack, but the procession led by that- leader move.-, steadily on, and will soon be here. It will preside over coronations and dothionements. 1 hail it ! I l>less it ! I welcome it! the twentieth century of the Christian era. Another thing that wo need to get fixed up before die clock should strike l'_' on that night of centennial transition is the expulsion of war by the power of ailntiation. Within the next three years we ought to have, and I hope will have, what might Iw called "a jury of nations," which shall render verdicts on all couhavertt'd international questions. All livilised nations are ready for it. Gieat IJiitain with a standing army „if •JIO.UUO men. France with a standing army of ,">SO.IIOO men, Germany with a staudnis; army of 600,000 men, Russia with a standing a'raiv of 900,000 men. Kuiopc with standini: armies of about 3,.)00,(MI() men, the United tStatca proposing a standing a nnvuf Kiij.ouo men. What a glorious idea, that of disarmament ! What an emancipation of nations and centuries ! 'Die C/.ar of Ku«m last summer proposed it in world-rooiuid-ing manifesto. Disarmament ! What an inspiring and heaven-descended thought ! In some (quarters the Czar's manifest.) v,as treated with derision, and ne were told that bo was not in earnest \Uien lie. made it. I know jicr: oiially (hat !io did mean jt, Six yeaia »£o he eApie^ed to me the

same theory in his palace at Pelerhof, he then being' on the way to the throne, not yet having reached it. His father, Alexander 111., then on the throne, expressed tome the same sentiments of peace, and his wife, the then Empress-, with tears in her eyes, said, in leply to my remark, " Your .Majesty, there will never bo another great war between Christian nations," "Ah; I hope there never will be. If there should ever be another great war I am sure it will not start from this palace."